Preventing drug deaths

In moving to make the drug naloxone more accessible, Rhode Island officials have taken a vital step toward curbing drug-overdose deaths. Better known as Narcan, the drug interrupts the effects of opiates...

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Posted Feb. 23, 2014 @ 12:01 am

In moving to make the drug naloxone more accessible, Rhode Island officials have taken a vital step toward curbing drug-overdose deaths. Better known as Narcan, the drug interrupts the effects of opiates on the brain, preventing a gradual loss of breathing. In use for several decades, it is a proven lifesaver.

Like much of the nation, Rhode Island has been suffering from a rash of drug-related deaths. Already this year, 45 people have died, and alarmed state health officials are bracing for more.

Earlier this month, state police superintendent Col. Steven O’Donnell announced that all state troopers will carry and be trained in the use of Narcan. Local police departments are being asked to follow suit, and should do so. In addition, the state Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals is requiring all substance-abuse and mental health treatment agencies to offer training in Narcan use.

Though Rhode Island has the worst rate of overdose deaths in New England, the entire region is afflicted. In Boston, Mayor Martin Walsh this month called for all first responders, including police officers and firefighters, to carry Narcan. The city will also host several workshops to train residents in its use, and to outline options for treatment.

In some respects, Rhode Island was already a leader in promoting Narcan. Under a standing prescription established by Dr. Josiah Rich, of Miriam Hospital, anyone in Rhode Island can walk into a Walgreens drugstore and request Narcan. A “good Samaritan law,” passed in 2012, protects individuals trying to help potential overdose victims from criminal charges for drugs found at the scene.

Because quick action (within one to three hours) can be crucial in responding to an overdose, Narcan should be as widely available, and known about, as possible. While some fear that it will encourage opiate abuse by providing a false sense of safety, research suggests otherwise. In any case, saving lives must be the main priority.

Certainly, Narcan is no cure for the larger problem of opiate addiction. Rhode Island’s next step must be a more vigorous effort to warn people of the dangers, and get those who need help into treatment. But it is encouraging that state leaders are confronting this scourge, and appear determined to reverse it.